Joy Drop: Landmark U.S. soccer pay equity deal may be turning point for other federations

Friends, as we dash towards the weekend I am happy to bring you some wonderful news. When the United States women's national soccer team reached a settlement with the USA governing body of Soccer (USSF) in February, it was contingent upon a collective bargaining agreement.

This week, it was completed. Both the men's and women's teams will be paid equally. Cindy Parlow-Cone is USSF's president and spoke highly of the different groups working to make it happen. 

"I think the real turning point was when we finally were all in the same room sitting at the same table, working together and collaborating to reach this goal," she said.

This is important and creates a precedent for federations to pay their women's teams what they deserve. What is more joyous than celebrating and properly remunerating women athletes? 

Working in a collaborative effort is essential and I am proud to say that a collaboration very dear to my own heart celebrated a milestone this week. The Burn It All Down podcast celebrated its 250th episode. As a co-creator and co-host, I am incredibly proud of this incredible project and overjoyed at the five years we have laboured and discussed sports and the important intersections. This team of incredible academics/journalists/creatives has taught me so much. 

Dancing is something I enjoy. Be it in the car with my kids, in my kitchen, or at a wedding, it is fun and that's why I had so much fun when seeing this brilliant tweet by Nina Alston of Florida about her 88-year-old mother. Alston's mom was grooving to Jackson's All For You. Alston shared a video of her mother dancing to it over Twitter and tagged Jackson. What is even better is that of course, Miss Jackson replied.

In Canada, May is Asian Heritage Month. Simon Fraser University offered a great post about what to read, what to listen to and what to watch to increase knowledge from Asian Canadian authors and creatives. I found a wonderful article from writer Samantha Lui for ELLE magazine called Why Asian Heritage Month is About More Than Representation. Lui explores why this month matters and why education and cultural sharing is essential for anti-racism in society.

Although this is from last year, CBC music's Melody Lau offered a great list of 30 Asian artists to discover during Asian heritage month. The idea is not only to enjoy their music and respect their culture but to appreciate them all year round. 

The New York Times offered a list of popular snack items to sample inspired by Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) month as it is known in the USA. Taking these ideas is always a tasty way to approach anti-racism and understanding. 

In addition to food, what better way to celebrate Asian Heritage Month than at the Juno Awards? Host and Marvel superhero Simu Liu danced with Canadian performer Tesher to Jalebi Baby, a song that boosted into stardom via TikTok last year. The number was a hit and fans were raving about it online.

I hope your weekend is as sweet as jalebi, ras malai (my favourite), red bean buns or any other wonderful sweets.